2011 Qatar Open - ITTF Pro Tour / Ping-pong/

Firmly established on the ITTF Pro Tour calendar; the Qatar Open has established a tradition of excellence both in the standard of organisation and the level of play.

In 2011, the 15th staging of the event maintains the high standards set; scheduled to be held from Wednesday 9th to Sunday 13th February at what has now becomes its regular home, the splendid Qatar Sports Club in Doha, the traditions of the past are not only maintained but enhanced.

The very best are en route to Qatar and you can follow the action; simply tune in to itTV and be captivated.

Top Stars Present
Germany’s Timo Boll and China’s Guo Yan, the two players who currently occupy the no.1 spots on the respective Men’s and Women’s World Ranking lists head the entry list.

Sensational Final
Sensationally, in February 2009, Timo Boll won the Men’s Singles title in Doha, beating Ma Lin in seven games, in what was arguably the best final of the year and one of the best ever witnessed on the ITTF Pro Tour.

A repeat of that contest would be indelibly printed in the memory and to describe such a match as “worth watching” would be a massive understatement.

Olympic Champion Only Seeded No.5
Could it happen again in 2011; that depends on the draw; Ma Lin is due to appear in Doha but he is only the no.5 seed!

The reigning Olympic champion is only the no.5 seed, worth repeating; also that’s the number of his world ranking, in itself that describes the stature of the tournament.

Next on the List
China’s Ma Long, the man who throughout 2010 occupied the no.1 spot on the Men’s World Ranking list is seeded two followed by compatriots Wang Hao and Zhang Jike.

In fact, the only man missing from the top ten seeded places is Vladimir Samsonov; Japan’s Jun Mizutani, the winner of the Men’s Singles title at the KAL Cup Pro Tour Grand Finals in Seoul in December 2010, is the no.7 seed with China’s three times Men’s Singles World champion next on the list.

Completing the List
Korea’s Joo Se Hyuk, the world’s greatest defender and China’s Xu Xin, the winner of the Men’s Singles title at the first ITTF Pro Tournament of 2011, the Slovenian Open, complete the top ten seeded places.

Never Won Gold in Doha
Equally, in the Women’s Singles event it is the “Who’s Who of Table Tennis” and top seed Guo Yan has a point to prove.

She was beaten by colleague Ding Ning in the final of the Women’s Singles event at the English Open in late January and she has never won a title at the Qatar Open in singles or doubles; runner up but never the champion.

Only No.10 Absent
Furthermore, similar to the Men’s Singles event, the very best will be present in Doha; of the top ten players listed on the January 2011 World Ranking list, only Li Jiao of the Netherland is absent and she is at no.10; the top nine are all on duty.

Singapore’s Feng Tianwei is the no.2 seed followed by the Chinese duo of Li Xiaoxia and Guo Yue; next on the agenda is the classic Korean defender Kim Kyung Ah; then the young Chinese duo of Liu Shiwen and Ding Ning, both striving for a place in the Chinese team at the London Olympic Games.

Mouth Watering
Mouth watering and to complete the top ten, Japan’s Ai Fukuhara and Singapore’s Wang Yuegu complete the elite list.

World class table tennis is on the menu, exciting sport, not to be missed; if you do, you’ll live to regret it!

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